Ditch cleaner



June 17,' 1930. J ,W BECK 1,765,031

DITcH JCLEANER Filed Aug. 25, 1927 INVENTGR( ATTORNEY.

Patented June 17, i930 wenn PAra

JOHN WILLIAM PECK, F FRESNO, CALFORNA :BITCH CLEANER Application filed August 25, 1927. Seri/a1 No. 215,407.

This invention consists of a ditch cleaner and is especially adapted for vuse in relieving irrigating ditches from vegetation, such as water grass, which latter tends to retard the 5 flow of water through the ditch.

An object of the invention is to provide a machine which longitudinally traverses the ditch and is positively held from'lateral displacement on the sides of the ditch to efk fectively cut the vegetation and urge the loose dirt up the bank of the ditch.

Another-object of theinvention is to provide a machine of this character which isy easy to operate and will maintain its position on the side of the ditch bank during operation, the groundengaging elements being adjustable lso as to vary the path traversed thereby, at the option of the user.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the present preferred form of the invention, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein i Figure l is a top plan view of a ditch cleaner constructed in accordancewitli the present invention; Y'

'Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the device showing the guide bar and ground engaging discs in side elevation; and, Figure 3 is a detail fragmentary sectional view showing the manner of Aconnecting one of the disc engaging bars with the draft bar.

The device of the present invention is especially adapted for use in cleaning ditches of vineyards which frequently become clogged by vegeation, such as Bermuda grass. as well as other extraneous materials. lThis condition prevents use of the ditch banks for drying the fruit. The present invention is 40 designed to give the proper angle to the sides 4of the ditch in order that the `fruit holding trays, such as are customarily employed in drying raisins, may be mounted on the sides of the ditch to get the full benefit of the suns ray.

The device of the present invention embodies a guide 4 which, in the present instance, consists of an elongated metal plate, the lower marginal edge of which has a portion thereof bent inwardly at right angles to provide a runner 5, the balance of the same margin being permitted to extend downwardly below the plane of the vrunner to provide a ground engaging blade 6. The forward end of the guide is rounded, as indicated at 7, to facilitate movement of the same through the ditch. The upper marginal edge of the guide has portions thereof bent inwardly in parallel relation to the runner 5 to provide steps 8. y 60 Fixedly secured to the inner wall of the guide 4 at the front end of the latter is one end 9 of a draft bar l0, the free end of the latter extending outwardly from the guide and being provided with a series of openings 11, any one of which is'adapted for engagement with a clevis or like instrumentality used for engaging draft animals or motive power, if desired, with the draft bar. The n openings 11 extend from a point' approxi- 7o mately midway the ends of the draft bar outwardly to the free end of the latter, the outermost openings being adapted, for the reception ofa bolt 12, which pivotally connects one end of a disc supporting and adjusting bar 13 thereto. The bar 1.3 extends rearwardly from the draft bar in parallel relation to the guide 4 and has the rear end thereof pivotally engaged with a bracket 14 which latter encircles a disc carrying axle 15. rlfhe discs are indicated in the .drawings at :16 and may be of any desired number, inthe present instance four being shown to illustrate the application of the invention. r'lhe inner end of the axle 15 is engaged by one 85 end of a bar 17 which latter likewise extends y in parallel relation to the guide plate 4 an d has the forward end thereof provided with a series of openings 1,8,any one of which may be pivotally engaged by one end of an operv ating lever 19l The lever 19 is pivotally mounted on a segmental rack 2O which is supported by the guide plate 4, as illlustrated to advantage in Figure 2. The'lever 19 may be heldV at any desired position on the segmental. rack 2O by a lever carried pawl 21 which operates in a manner well-known in the art In order to prevent sagging of the bar 13 and further to positively hold the latter in any pre-determined position, a suitable brace 22 is provided, the inner end of which is pivotally mounted on a bracket 23, carried by the guide 4 to the rear of the segmental rack 20. rI'he outer end of the brace isprovided with a series or" openings which complementV a corresponding opening formed in the bar 13 and receives therethrough a bolt 24 through the medium of which the bar 13 is secured from displacement. Lateral adjustment of the bar may be effected by removal of the boit 211 and likewise removal of the bolt 12, it desired. Correspondingly the discs 16 are laterally adjusted with respect to the guide runner 4c. By reason of the braceV 22, the bar 13 is normally retained in a tiXed position while I the bar 17 is tloatingly mounted and the movement thereof controlled by the lever 1Q, in order, to swing the inner end of the axle .to correspondingly adjust the position et the series of discs mounted thereon. The floating bar 17 is pivotally engaged with a bracket which encircles the aXle 15 as illustrated in Figure 2 oit the drawings.

n lVorking conditions make it necessary at! Vtimes te exert pressure downwardly on the discs 16 in order to cause the latter to penetrate the ditch and for this purpose a support- Ving frame 25 is provided which maybe or" any desired configuration and is supported by vertical standards 26 which are superimposed on the bars 13 and 17 and are secured thereto by the same bolts which engage said bars with the airle brackets. The Vframe 25 may be used to carry any kind of a weight, or if desired the operator may ride on the device to cause the discs 16 and the blade 6 of the guide to penetrate the earth. The operator may support one toot on one of the steps v8 and the other foot on the frame 25 and ride alongk on the cleaner, so long as it is necessary to weigat Vthe latter to cause effective penetrationf VAs the discs pass over the bank, it is apparent that vegetation will be cut thereby and where Vthe dirt on the bank is loose, it will not be i dragged along by the discs, but will be leveled.

` It is well known that irrigating ditches especially in vineyards are'usually substantially V-shaped and with the device of the present invention where the banks of the ditch have become undulated, the discs will break up the undulations and make the surface relatively st-raight. It is of course understoodv that both sides oi the bank may be cultivated by the device of the present invention by sin ply reversing the operation of the cleaner when it reaches the end of the ditch and to facilitate this operation a handle 27 is mounted on the rear end of the guide 4. However, it desired, both sides of the guide 4 may be equipped with mechanism as illustrated in the drawings in order to simultaneously cultivate both banks of the ditch. VThis is accomplished by duplicating the mechanism shown in the drawings and Yassociating it with the guide in a manifest manner. Furthermore, the number oit discs 16 may be increased by substituting a longer-axle so as to accommodate the number of discs to be used. The number of discs employed depends upon the area to be covered.

4Although l have above described what I consider to be the preferred form of thisinvention, l am of course, aware that various changes may be made in the device, especially in the details oit' construction, proportion and yarrangementoi'l the parts, within the scope of the claims hereto appended.

l/Vhat is claimed is 1, A ditch cleaner including a guide plate,

a portion of the lower margin Vof which is,

bent at right angles to provide a runner and the remainder of said margin extended below the runner to provide an earth penetrating blade, and earth penetrating said guide plate.

2. A ditch cleaner including a lguide plate adapted for use in the bottom of the ditch and equipped with an earth engaging portion discs carried by to penetrate the bottom of the latter, a seriesV of discs adjustably mounted on the guide, and a weight supporting frame mounted.

above said discs to urge the latter into the bank of the ditch, substantially as described.

3. A ditch cleaner includingl an elongated bar, one margin of which is formed to provide a runner which issues into a blade projecting below the latter, ground engaging discs mounted on the bar, the peripheries of which extend Vbeyond the runner and terminate in the horizontal plane of the blade inargcrlin.V

JOHN VVLLIAM PECK. 

